I am caught in a cycle I can't get out of. Up until a couple of years ago I cooked and baked from scratch. My health problems, degenerative disc disease and arthritis main problems here, make standing and cooking impossible. I get very tired and also have depression. Together all this means I no longer prepare fresh food, I can't lift pans etc. We end up at 8 to 9 pm not having eaten and then having just a sandwich, pizza etc.

I can't walk far, have a mobility car and scooter, and have constant pain made worse by the weight. If anyone has any affordable advice, can't afford delivered meals I would be so grateful. I am vegetarian and husband is not. Also having ankle fusion next week so weight bearing will be a big problem🤔

Vegetarian but apart from that should be doable. I have trouble carrying pans safely, balance is not good and I worry about doing more harm. I eat plenty of salad, with grilled halumi or eggs. I have to do something!

Welcome to the Healthy eating forum. I hope that your ankle fusion operation will go well next week.

I was wondering if your husband might be able to help regarding perhaps working alongside you - in that maybe you could instruct him in how to batch cook some healthy foods (as you used to do that when your mobility etc would allow), and therefore you could maybe help him to batch cook a few meals and then they could be frozen into meals for the two of you to enjoy during the week. It might involve spending a whole day on the weekend trying to coordinate it, but would be worth it in the end? Just a thought. I don't know what your husband's cooking abilities are, or whether he could help with the cooking.

I really hope that you can find some good alternatives to enable you to eat healthily and good luck with everything.

Unfortunately he had a bad shoulder fracture some years ago and even after several operations he is not safe using knives, he has very limited movement in that arm. It's not just after the op I am less and less able to stand or to carry pans myself. Up to now after 15 years he has produced beans on toast and egg and chips! I do veg prep sitting down, I was looking to pick someone's brain really, often a simple solution is the one you don't see yourself. I will do my best to get him doing something healthy! Thanks for replying it's much appreciated.

Its very important that you avoid inflammatory foods that will make your physical & mental health worse. If your arthritis is autoimmune RA, this is even more important, & it might help if you adopt a gluten free diet. I find high fat/low starch foods suit me best for my joints, general health, & avoiding any weight gain which makes me feel much worse.

I make healthy eating easier for myself, by making sure I have foods that are good for me as a first option so I'm not tempted to eat junk. It didn't take long for this to be second nature, so it's now rare for me to eat anything bad at home, or that's going to make me feel worse. I make sure that I always have things that I like to eat & are good for me. Nuts, & seeds, yoghurt, etc, are easy to have on hand, store well, & contain protein, healthy fats, & essential nutrients. Fruit is high in vitamin C, & the easiest quick snack or a healthy sugar fix. I get a food delivery every few weeks, so I don't have to carry heavy shopping, & plan easy things to make & eat ~ salads in summer & soups in winter. Often my daily food intake is odd when I don't feel well, but that's ok as long as I've had enough unprocessed protein, essential nutrients, & good probiotics.

I've been following this practitioner for several years: chriskresser.com/browse/ All of his e-books & articles are free, & much of his advice i very easy to understand & follow.

Avoid fruit, a big cause of inflammation which you probably have and will have if you are going for an op. All nutrients that used to be in fruit is available even more in leafy green veg. Frozen is ok. Check out Gary Fettke on YouTube an Australian orthopaedic surgeon.